You can pre-order Amazon’s newest Kindle today

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Update: The Oasis is available now, but as of this writing Amazon says the device isn't in stock until June 1. Amazon has formally announced the Kindle Oasis, the latest entry in its family of e-readers. The device costs $289.99 and is available for pre-order today, with shipping to begin on April 27.

Photos of the device leaked earlier this week, and they appear to have been spot on. The Oasis looks noticeably different than any Kindle that's preceded it, with a wider bezel on one side that extends out to a rectangular bulge on its back. This is meant to make the Oasis easier to grip with one hand. There are two page turning buttons on top of that bezel, and the display will automatically reorient itself based on how you hold it.

Amazon says the Oasis is the thinnest and lightest Kindle it's made; it measures 3.4mm at its thinnest point, and weighs 4.6 ounces on its own. By comparison, the Kindle Voyage, the current high-end entry in the Kindle lineup, measures 7.6mm and weighs 6.3 ounces.

Like the Voyage and Kindle Paperwhite before it, the Oasis has a six-inch display with a pixel density of 300 ppi. (Which is sharp.) Amazon says the Oasis' built-in light has more LEDs, however, and that it'll have a wider range of screen brightness as a result.
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Included in that $290 price tag is a leather battery cover, which attaches the Oasis magnetically. Amazon says it'll add around eight weeks of battery life to the device. It comes in three finishes — black, merlot, or walnut — and makes the back of the device flatter. On its own, the Oasis' battery is said to last around two weeks.

One thing that hasn't been added is water resistance. Unlike competitors such as the Barnes & Noble Nook Glowlight Plus or Kobo Aura H2O, you'll have to keep the Oasis dry to avoid issues. Processing power appears to be similar to past devices as well.

Earlier this month Amazon temporarily slashed the prices of the current Kindle lineup for Prime members, and at the time we mentioned that anyone interested in a Voyage might be best off waiting for news on this new device. At first blush, though, it appears the Oasis isn't replacing the Voyage so much as it's slotting above it. We'd say the $120 Kindle Paperwhite is likely to remain the best buy for most people, but we'll have more on whether or not the Oasis is worth it as a luxury option in the near future.

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